Burundi: Coffee harvest campaign to be run until August 5

Déo Guide Rurema, Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock says cherry coffee is still observed on coffee trees. He says the pulping and washing stations should continue to receive cherry coffee until August 5.”As it will not be of good quality, it will be bought at the price of cherry coffee B which is fixed at BIF 250 per Kg instead of BIF 500,” he says.

Déo Guide Rurema: “Local administrative officials must be involved in the fight against coffee fraud”

Minister Rurema says about 126 171 tons of cherry coffee were collected out of 100,000 tons expected for the 2018-2019 coffee campaign that started in March and ended on 25 July. “This is the result of combined efforts by various actors in the coffee sector,” he says.

For green coffee, he says 19, 774 tons will be produced out of the expected 15, 000 tons. “This is an achievement of 126% if one considers the available data”, says the Minister.

In Burundi, exported coffee alone brings more than 60% of the foreign currency. “It is one of the crops grown primarily by small scale farmers and their income depends on it”, says Minister Rurema.
During 2017-2018 coffee season, the production was 15,864 tons while the expected production was around 20,000 tons.

Minister Déo Guide Rurema calls upon those who have not yet paid coffee farmers to do so as soon as possible. “And those who have not yet brought all foreign currency from exports to the central bank are also concerned. They must pay off all their arrears of the last season,” he says.